Saving Grace
by Rebelwithaheart
Summary: There was no doubt that Jamie was to be her saving grace. But unbeknownst to Brooke he would not be her only salvation. That would come in the form of a teenage girl from Charlotte, and the life she was about to bring into the world.
1. Light and Dark

**This starts just after 6x03. There has been the odd small alteration to what took place in the first few episodes, but nothing major.**

**This is my first attempt at OTH fanfiction, and any suggestions for the story, or constructive criticism for improvement in my writing would be very much appreciated.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Much Love.**

* * *

She had never needed saving.

Never needed another person to pick her up when she fell.

To bring her back when she was lost.

She'd had no-one to save her from the destructive force within herself that seemed to rear it's ugly head at the mere mention of her absent parents. And yet she had managed to become the best version of herself that she could be.

She'd had no-one to save her from her first broken heart and best friend's betrayal. And yet she pulled through, forgiving both and allowing herself to again, fall for a boy that destiny, fate, and what other meddling entities that existed, had somehow decided was not her's to fall for.

For a while she had been certain that she did need someone. Anyone. But the dissapointment and hurt of life, made her realise she was confusing what she thought was _**need **_with _**desire**_.

She _**wanted**_ someone to pick her up when she fell. But she didn't _**need**_ them to.

She _**wanted**_ someone to look at her the way Nathan looked at Haley. But she didn't _**need **_them to.

She _**wanted**_ her knight in shining armour. But she didn't _**need**_ him.

She _**wanted**_ someone to save her. But she didn't _**need**_ them to.

She could do it perfectly fine by herself.

Until now.

For the first time in her twenty two years of life, Brooke Penelope Davis needed saving.

Because she was drowning.

Struggling, through a muddled flood of emotions that had been threatening to pull her under since the departure of Angie.

The sting of loss burned with an intensity that she had long since forgotten. Before that day, she could never have imagined that it was possible to hurt that much, all because of one little girl. Maybe it was because somewhere deep inside her, she had always known that she wasn't _**her**_ little girl. Angie wasn't hers to hold, to cuddle...to love.

The robbery had been the final straw. The push over the edge into a swirling abyss of darkness that was her life.

She had been violated. Physically and emotionally.

She was no longer herself. The very thing's that had once defined her as a person, not only to the outside world but to herself, were tainted by the abusive touch of a world that just didn't seem to care.

Her thoughts were no longer her own. They were occupied by the ever present image of those wild eyes, burning through her.

The dimpled smile that could captivate not only her closest friends, but entire strangers in one breath taking second, was a rarity now.

Her compassion was fading out into a vague memory. In the midst of her friend's grief, she couldn't bring herself to feel sympathy. She felt nothing but coldness in the face of their sorrow.

She had never been one to back down. Her strength and courage, something to admire in someone so young in years. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to fight anymore.

It was never supposed to be this hard.

**Life** wasn't supposed to be like this.

It was like hearbreak. As if her heart was slowly crumbling within her and she had to force herself through the motions of daily life, brimming with a despair that her friends, at times, seemed all too oblivious to.

It felt as though she had been abandoned, betrayed by a force beyond her control. Almost as if some higher entity that she didn't quite believe in, was intent on breaking her.

And it didn't matter that she had overcome an empty childhood to become one of America's top fashion designers.

It didn't matter that Angie's leaving was always a given thing, an inevitable in a world full of surprises.

It didn't matter that there was nothing but sincerity behind her friend's concerned glances.

Because in the end, it still hurt.

* * *

Nathan's attempt at reaching out to his life-long friend had been fruitless. She had lost count of the number of times that her hand had trembled over the phone, in hopes that she could convince herself to call him. To take him up on his offer of help and support.

But she just couldn't do it.

Because if she did, she would be aknowledging the fact that she _**needed**_ help. It would be admitting that she was in dire need of saving.

From life, from her mother and probably most importantly...from herself.

If there was one thing that Brooke didn't do, it was ask for help. In her confused and muddled state, she saw it as nothing but a show of weakness

And Brooke Davis wasn't weak.

* * *

It had been just three days since Q's funeral, and Brooke had gone into complete avoidance mode.

Peyton had moved out, and all Brooke had offered was a weak congratulations, hoping that the break in her voice had not alerted her best friend to the fact that inside she was pleading with her not to leave. But knowing someone as intimately as they did each other, meant that you could often read their feelings better than you could your own.

She knew Brooke was lying. She knew she was hurting.

Peyton had attempted only once to tempt the truth from her best friend, but the dullness that resided in Brooke's eyes had halted her. The spark was gone, the life that she had not so long ago emanated in radiant waves, had diminished, and it scared her.

So the conversation only went so far as Peyton asking her if **'there is something else going on' **before Brooke had bolted, leaving only a fragile exclaimation of 'I'm fine' in her wake.

In a move that many would have deemed selfish, Peyton had allowed herself to be swept away by the excitement and passion of a rekindled love, and in the process had pushed Brooke to the back of her mind. Forgetting the number of times that the roles had been reversed; the times that Brooke had _**saved her**_.

In the rare moment that she had time to reflect without the presence of Lucas, either physically or mentally, Peyton had aknowledged the fact that she had let her best friend down. Maybe not on purpose, but still.

She had allowed life to get in the way of a relationship that meant more to her than she thought anyone would ever realise.

She had been selfish. Life had been selfish.

* * *

If you had asked Brooke Davis to name the one person she would have thought to be her shining light through the swirling darkness that was her life at present, she probably would have named Peyton. Maybe Lucas and quite possibly Haley or Nathan.

How wrong she would have been.

Never would she imagine that her light would come in the form of an angelic faced five year old boy.

Jamie had been the only one that had successfully managed to bring her out of her stupor, and it had been done inadvertently through an innocent admission on his behalf. She had avoided many a call and visits from her friend's, citing work or mother issues as excuses for the lack of time she had for them amd her godson.

But on the seventh day of her avoidance of her friends, young James Lucas Scott had taken matters into his own hands.

While under the care of his Nanny Deb, he had innocently expressed his desire to see his Aunt Brooke. With his entrancing blue eyes, she had been hard pressed to deny him, and despite her attempts at explaining his godmother's recent absence in terms of which he could understand, he had held firm.

Thus, with perfect timing, Deb had pulled up outside Clothes Over Bro's just as Brooke was shutting up.

Preoccupied with the nervous trembling of her hands as she locked up her store, all the while casting anxious glances to her left, Brooke had not seen them until she turned around.

It only took a second.

As soon as her eyes met his, he had ripped his hand from his grandmother's grasp, and leapt towards her.

In an instant, she had dropped the various necessities she had and opened her arms.

She had stood once again, cradling him against her, clinging to him with a desperation so heartbreaking, that the older woman had to turn away, afraid that the emotions welling within her would escape.

Despite the protesting ache of her muscles and the throbbing of her ribs, she held him against her in an embrace she wasn't quite sure she could break. The past week had been a dragging blur of daily life, and she had felt an ache that had nothing to do with the fading bruises that adorned her body, grow within her.

She missed them. All of them.

She was unaware of how long she stood there, stroking the soft head of blonde hair that rested against her shoulder, but after a while, he pulled back just far enough to see her face. In a gesture that caused the escape of welling tears, Jamie had reached his hands out and cupped her cheeks, his voice revealing an innocent sincerity that Brooke hadn't seen in a long time.

"I missed you, Aunt Brooke"

In that exact moment, the darkness that surrounded her, lightened.

* * *

There was no doubt that Jamie was to be her saving grace. A light that fought through the swirling blackness that was engulfing her. He would be the one to start her on the road to finding herself again. To finding who she was and what she would be.

But unbeknowst to Brooke, he would not be her only salvation.

That would come in the form of a teenage girl from Charlotte, and the life she was about to bring into the world.


	2. Despair

**Thank you to everyone that read, and an even bigger thank you to those that review.**

**I hope you all continue to do so. Please don't hesitate to offer any suggestions with which I can better both my writing and the story.**

**Much Love...**

* * *

Being a cherub faced five year old boy with the captivating 'baby blues' of the Scott males, Jamie didn't need to put in any effort to charm a person.

It came naturally.

One flash of his cheeky smile and they were hooked.

Brooke was no exception, and even with the pressure of despairing darkness pressing in on her, when confronted with the pleading blue eyes of her godson, she had broken. Thus, he was slowly pulling her out of the isolation in which she had enclosed herself for the past week and a half. Which is how she found herself strolling through the park with the little charmer that had captured her heart.

Yet the leisurely pace at which they strolled was deceiving, her emotions and nerves far from the calm and control that many would see when looking at her.

They would see Brooke Davis, head of Clothes Over Bros.

Confident.

Collected.

Sophisticated.

They wouldn't see her for **who** she really was;

Jamie's precious 'Aunt Brooke'.

Peyton's beloved 'B. Davis'.

Haley's cherished 'Tigger'.

They wouldn't see **what** she truly was;

**Broken**.

The anxiety that seemed imbedded within her as of late, was far from fading out, and she cast glances around herself and the young boy every few moments, as though convinced that she would see those wild eyes staring back at her from the faces of passing strangers.

But instead all she saw were the bland profiles of un-caring strangers in an unkind world.

The sun shone brightly, the radiating warmth of the day kissing her once flawless skin.

She didn't feel it.

The sweet smell of freshly cut grass, wafted on the soft breeze.

She didn't smell it.

The light giggles of playing children sounded throughout the park.

She didn't hear it.

In fact the only thing that she was aware of, was the small hand entwined with her own, and the small sense of contentment that seemed to wash through her, at the feel of his hand in hers.

* * *

"Aunt Brooke?"

His young voice broke through her haze of thoughts, and she conjured up a genuine albeit small smile, at the sight of her godson. In true five year old fashion, he had managed to smear more than half of his chocolate ice cream across his face. In a gesture of affection - something that only happened in his presence as of late - she reached out a slim finger and tapped his nose gently, amusement dancing briefly through her dull eyes.

"What is it, handsome?"

He cocked his blonde head to the side adorably and spoke with an innocence so pure, that Brooke felt her heart throb with an emotion she couldn't define.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?"

"Falling down the stairs"

As soon as the question had passed his lips, Brooke was able to define the previous emotion that had writhed within her chest just seconds before.

Guilt.

There was something so much more shameful about lying to a child than to an adult. It felt as though she was tainting him, marking that pureness that seemed to emanate from him in waves.

She felt her heart race into a gallop within her chest, and her throat constrict with a burning sensation. She felt her eyes sting with welling tears, yet she was unable to tear them away from Jamies face, and as she sat there enraptured by the sight of him, she could see them.

Her friends.

She could see Nathan in the sapphire blue that coloured his eyes. Haley, in his infectious grin. Lucas, in the sandy blonde hair that swept across his forehead. Peyton, in the quirky gestures, that she remembered her best friend - as all children had - displaying at that age.

And as their faces swam before her, her heart slowed until it was no long beating rapidly and instead all she felt was a dark abyss of despair and guilt, throbbing within her, that wasn't hers to feel.

She had to swallow deeply and glance away, willing away the emotions. When she turned back to him, he was looking at her expectantly, his tongue darting out to catch the falling drips of his melting ice cream.

A fragile smile graced her full lips, and she let a sigh escape her.

"Yeah, it hurt"

* * *

Come seven o'clock that evening, Jamie had exhausted himself into the peaceful world of slumber, and Brooke had fallen into the dark swirling mass of her own thoughts. Her eyes gazed unseeingly into the dmming sky outside, the soft breathing of the sleeping boy filling the air and soothing away the sting of threatening tears.

She had pulled up just over fifteen minutes ago, but she had yet to make any attempt at leaving the car. After her moment with Jamie in the park earlier, she was in no state for facing Haley and Nathan, feeling nothing but exhaustion at the thought of rebuffing their attempts at reaching out to her.

This morning had been easy enough, with Jamie's excitement and Nathan's lateness for practice, somewhat overshadowing any endeavour's the couple might have had planned, thus Haley had watched them leave, dark soulful eyes not once managing to connect with those of her friend.

Knowing that the young woman that you considered one of your closest and best friend's, couldn't bring herself to look at you. Wasn't able to meet your eyes, and flash that dimpled smile that could captivate in one brief second. Wasn't able - or willing, she wasn't quite sure - to let her in and let her give the support she was so in need of.

It hurt.

Unbeknownst to Haley; it had hurt Brooke even more.

* * *

Nathan answered the door and Brooke avoided his eyes, only giving a cursory glance and weak smile, stepping into the house when he moved back to allow her access.

She cradled Jamie in her arms, his blonde head resting in the crook of her neck, small arms wound around her neck. His weight was comforting, supplying her with a sense of security that she had been craving. It was almost as though his presence, defined her existence; that she was only there because he wanted her to be.

Haley's approach from the living room set off alarm bells within Brooke and as unwilling as she was to let her godson go, she was more afraid of facing the concerned probing of his parents.

In a move that had become frequent lately, Jamie came to her rescue.

"Aunt Brooke?"

His voice was husky with sleep, and moving his head to the side, he rested it against Brooke's shoulder, rubbing tenderly at his lidded eyes. She reached up and stroked the soft strands of his hair affectionately, as Haley and Nathan watched on, a soft smile playing on the young mother's lips.

"Hey buddy. We're home"

Jamie lifted his head, a yawn escaping him as he did so, and seeing his mother and father, a tired smile spread across his face.

"Did you have fun with Aunt Brooke, baby?"

The young boy nodded as enthusiastically as his sleep fogged state allowed, and Brooke felt her heart flutter at the knowledge that she had brought as much joy to his day as he had to hers.

"Hey buddy, it's nearly time for bed, why don't you go upstairs and get ready"

Nathan's voice brought a halt to the feeling.

She could tell by the lightness of the suggestion, that he was masking his true intentions and the quick glance he threw at her made it all too clear what was to take place when the young boy left.

Brooke placed Jamie on the floor and knealt down before him, her desire to say goodbye to him overshadowing her anxiety about his parents and their possible questions. The young boy, however, cut her off before she could give anything but a small smile.

"Will you read me my bedtime story?"

Brooke felt her words stop in her throat, and wasn't quite unsure as to why, having done as he had asked numerous times before. She caught sight of Haley and Nathan out of the corner of her eye, and her smile broke for a fleeting second, before her attention turned once again to Jamie.

"I'm sorry honey, but I can't"

"Why?"

"I have some things I need to"

She hated lying. Especially to him. The truth was there was nothing for her to do, she had nothing planned but to return to a home that was becoming less welcoming by the day. To pass the hours, by attempting to fight away the loneliness that was eating away at her; the isolation she so desperately wanted to escape but couldn't quite find the strength she needed to do so.

He cocked his head to the side adorably, and she felt a tug at her heartstrings. His eyes narrowed, and his bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

"But I'll read you one next time, okay?"

He narrowed his sapphire eyes at her, apparently contemplating her words, before holding out his little finger expectantly.

"Promise?"

A smile graced her lips, and she entwined her little finger with his, shaking them gently.

"Promise"

That was all the assurance he needed, and without further ado, he wound his arms around her neck in a hug. Brooke held him to her, one arm wrapping around him, the other stroking the soft blonde hair that adorned his head. She felt a foreign calm wash over her, and held him a little longer than usual, unconciously closing her eyes as she did so. With one last affectionate squeeze, she let him go, pressing a kiss to his temple and then his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, buddy"

"You too, Aunt Brooke"

He flashed one last smile, before Nathan scooped him into his arms and headed towards the stairs. As he dissappeared from her sight, so did the calm that he had instilled in her, within seconds being replaced with anxiety and arkwardness.

Not wanting to be cornered by any questions that her friend may have for her, Brooke gave Haley a weak smile, mumbled a 'goodbye' and turned towards the door.

"Tomorrow"

Cursing her innate curiousity, the young fashion designer turned back to her friend and raised her eyebrow in question.

"You can read Jamie his story tomorrow. After dinner"

The excuses came immeadiately, almost like an instinctive reaction. Haley stayed quite, allowing her friends feeble words to spill from her mouth and hang arkwardly in the air between them. Brooke gave an apologetic smile that bordered on genuine, slowly turning back towards the door. Her eyes had yet to meet Haley's.

"Please"

Brooke's hand stilled immeadiately.

She was pleading, and if there was one thing that would undo her, it was that. Brooke squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath.

"We miss you"

Her resolve broke and before she had fully registered her actions, her head was nodding, and the word's slipped out of their own accord.

"Okay"


End file.
